Zoriko

Dragon of the Clouds || 500 Years Young

"There is no source of darkness; it is merely the absence of lights"

 Description:

Zoriko is a rare type of  juvenile dragon with pointed, white scales. Her small silver talons shimmer on her toes and don't serve too much of a purpose besides grip, and spikes that travel down her body.

Her wings are longer than most dragons of her age; being a dragon of the sky meant having a slender physique, larger chest for bigger lungs, and a broader wingspan to glide through the harshest of winds. 

Zoriko's  crimson red eyes glow dimly at night, and with strong emotions, aiding her night vision. 

Zoriko's photographic memory aids her in protecting herself and others.Zoriko is learning the power of magic, and her latest abilities are often a result of impulse and desire.

As a human, her skin is as pale, pure as porcelain. This and many other features coincide with her dragon form, long, straight silver hair, crimson eyes, which glow with anger and with the twilight. Being a juvenile dragon means she's also a short human, standing a mere 5 foot.  Zoriko has Elven tribal markings upon her arms, and her legs, though she usually conceals them using appearance shifting magic.These markings were given to her by her former dragon rider Zora, though appearing after her death

Zoriko has proved time and again that her appearacne does not define her demeanor, which is rather cautious and shy. She has learned to test people she doesn't know in order to gauge their personality. Shy at first then cunning to really expose a person's true intentions. A lethal combination.

 

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Birth and Banishment:

Zoriko was born 500 years ago in the Cloud Kingdom. However, soon after her birth, she was abandoned, shortly thereafter, forced out of the sky and onto land, for reasons she could not understand as a child. Today it can be described as prejudice.

For the part of her childhood where she roamed the skies, Zoriko was alone, and discriminated against because of her appearance; Pearly white, while dragons of the sky were an array of beautiful pastel colors, sometimes resembling the vividness of dawn and the tranquility of dusk

She was born too early and a sickness in her early stages of life caused her color to develop differently from the others. She was blessed or cursed with silver scales, some silver, and others a pearly white, and destined to remain juvenile; slightly smaller than the rest.

Image result for white dragon

 
 

Zora:

Zoriko's childhood became mundane, and spent mostly in solitude.Then one day, Zoriko found a tribe of elves. Hungry, lonely, and a bit curious, Zoriko flew over to them and found that these elves were warm and welcoming. They accepted her with open arms.

They didn’t care for her color, or her size. To them she was the most captivating creature they had seen. 

Zoriko's silver color made her unique, and tied with a kind personality, Zoriko was the companion and guardian that this village desired. For the next few decades, Zoriko lived in peace, with the elves, and even made friends with a particular elf who called herself Zora, the daughter of the head of the village. She, like Zoriko had a slender physique but long curly hair which was the color of rich chocolate. 

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Her appearance almost doll like, and her ears, long and pointed upwards. She made up for all the compassion that Zoriko was denied in the past, and she  and Zoriko became very close, almost like true blood siblings. Zora had taken her in, allowing to reside in her house, and sleep in her room. In fact, Zora was the girl who gave Zoriko her name, and they lived as best friends, rather than as pet and master.

Everyday in the morning, Zoriko would do her morning rounds, where she would fly above the village to stretch her wings. Soon, Zora began tagging along, riding on Zoriko’s back,whispering "Fly Safe" into Zoriko's ear. It was a statement that warmed Zoriko’s heart. For the first time in her life, Zoriko felt needed, she felt like she could finally protect, her rider, master and best friend, Zora.

 

Death of a Rider:

Zora fell ill one day, and against her will, Zoriko left her in the village to fetch her some herbs and meat, only to return to a village that was engulfed in flames.  Before she realized, her worst nightmare had come true, as she eventually found Zora, charred, trembling in pain.

 

Her dying wish conveyed with the words, "Fly...safe...My sister..." and she lay limp as she tried to hand Zoriko her alexandrite pendant.

With nothing left to live for, Zoriko, who could not bring herself to bury her master, took her corpse to an abandoned cave where she lived for a few months alongside her master. Zoriko felt eminently guilty.

With every passing day she regretted leaving Zora alone on that day, because if she hadn’t left her behind, she could have saved Zora. She blamed herself, there was one person who gave her the love a family would give her, and she lost it. Zoriko thought she would live in the cave with Zora until death consumed her whole, and she lay right next to Zora.

 

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Skya and Nightwing:

A few months later, Zoriko was finally able to put Zora to rest, burying her where the village once stood.

Zoriko could no longer bear the happy memories that village bore, and she began to wander, hoping that her life of solitude may end soon.

A few years later she came across a black dragon of the night, named Skya, alongside her rider Lenn. Skya’s motherly instincts took over and she immediately took a wounded Zoriko under her wing.

 

 Skya accepted her with an open heart, and they lived as though they were bound by blood.

Although becoming Skya's daughter gave her new joys in her life, Zoriko finds it hard to trust anyone but Skya, and constantly wants to be near Skya in case she needs her.

 

Nightwing and the Onset of Magic:

As the days past with Skya, Zoriko finally had a new family. New found brothers, who were Skya’s blood offspring. In fact, her brother Klaus was the one who had taught her to harness her magic so that she can transform into human form at will. She became close with Lenn, Skya’s rider, and companion, and she considered Lenn’s family, her own family.

Zoriko thought her life was complete, and finally when she was strong enough, decided that she would go on a voyage and visit the grave of Zora, so that she could convey to Zora that she had finally found happiness once again.

On Zoriko’s return, she stopped by a mage who taught her other uses for her magic, including mastery of the elements. Although her descent grants her immense power in wind and water, her magic training allowed her to harness fire and lightning. Her training under this mage took years, and she returned to her home as an adult, no longer the estranged child she once arrived as.

Present Day

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Today, Zoriko works for a large magazine company; as an artist. Within nature she was able to find her home, as well as her dream job, to simply observe nature and imitate its beauty upon paper.

Though she was given a home in the city, she sometimes relaxes in the wilderness of Nightwing, patiently waiting, for life to take it's course, and so she may enjoy every moment of her new life

 
 
 
 
 
 
Bonds: 
 
Zora
 
Skya:  Adoptive mother
 
Rigel: Brother; Skya's blood son
 
Klaus: Brother; Skya's blood son
FC: Ola Rudnicka

Rules:

  • No god modding, It generally ruins the plot. Give me options to abide by if you must, but no controlling
  • Do not try to kill my character either, a fight is fine, also if you startle her or scare her in any way, she will probably hold an attack stance, but she won't attack you first. Killing her will result in an immediate end to the RP
  • Just know that Zoriko is timid and cries frequently, if this annoys you, I'm sorry. Feel free to criticize it (which may lead to more tears, you have been warned), but if you can't deal with it, don't rp with me.

 

Authors Note:

  • I'm usually pretty quick with responses, but if you don't get a response for a few days, I haven't forgotten about you I promise. I'm a full time college student and it's crazy                                                                          
  • This song is called Norwell, and it's from the game Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask.                                       

 

 

Birthday:

March 29


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  • Those next couple of minutes were probably the most fascinating of all the previous times he had to sit and wait for Zoriko to complete another sketch. As much as the younger beast wished to walk around for his own curiosity, he chose to remain close for the duration and simply gazed at the once decorative ballroom. Periodically Tempest would peek over her shoulder to see each bit of progress, not once did such work fail to amaze him with how impressive her set of skills were.

    When she finally finished it, the Oceanic Dovah stood up and followed her silently back to where they initially came from, up until she answered him. Her reply came as somewhat of a surprise knowing how far they’d have to walk in order to reach this massive indoor stadium, if anything he was expecting a decline. His emerald orbs widened slightly upon noticing her dart back in to retrieve something, and that item ended up being the wedding ring that should’ve been planted around a would-be bride’s finger. A few glimpses of it were all he could get of the antique jewelry before she put it away for its restoration later or whatever the Dragoness decides. In many ways, he was hoping she’d have interest in preserving it, assuming a certain couple wouldn’t mind.

    In the meantime, her water oriented affiliate was listening carefully as she explained another ability of hers. It was an extraordinary skill to say the least, and could easily explain how she managed to decipher the ring’s history, but only with a certain item. Her did wonder what the size limit was for an object to perform this on, definitely not a ship this large based on what she described. Another interesting thought was whether or not it could be performed on people or other living creatures, including himself despite the fact she was told much of his life story already. Who knows what kind of lore Zoriko would discover if temporarily given his infamous Trident. He did chuckle at the mentioning of it being used to make people’s hearts jump for their amusement and would love to see more of it after their journey into the Nosgoth.

    A troubling question was presented to him during their trek down the halls before thinking carefully on the matter until an answer could be given. “Are you suggesting a conspiracy? Because I could see that being a thing there. Seriously, how do thousands of people mysteriously die yet absolutely none have escaped? Not one life boat is missing from the decks. If this was some man-made incident, there’d have to be survivors, look how huge this ship is, there’s a million places to hide if people were rounded up and killed off like livestock. Plus it’d be impossible to fit everyone in one room for that big of an execution. Our best bet is talking to a victim and finding out what they know.” He’d briefly explain in thought until giving an obvious idea on how they could determine what took place a century ago.

    Before this discussion could go any further, there was a sudden halt from the white haired female beside him. As quick as her exhale was, Tempest found himself being gripped on one arm for an abrupt stop, and he knew trusting her judgement was the best course of action for whatever emergency was upon them. With a dom casting over them both, his slightly frantic gaze narrowed over towards a transparent figure approaching the two, the being in question being a woman. If the pendant was alerting her about a potential threat, he needed to take this encounter seriously.

    Nothing was said for the first moment when the brunette initially asked them about joining, which her friend wouldn’t mind since having a former passenger guide them could be extremely useful. But with Zoriko having every reason to be suspicious, allowing her to tag along might be out of the question for their own safety. He did feel some sympathy for the woman’s alleged desire for returning to wherever her remains might be. Zoriko’s gesture was acknowledged with a quick back into her crimson irises. The thought of search for Emmy’s skeleton did make him realize something, and she was about to be called out on it while the azure haired male narrowed his emerald hues at her.

    “Okay. Tell us something, how do you not remember where your last memory took place before dying? Not to sound rude, but I doubt it’d take a whole century just to find it. Unless you were unconscious when it happened?”

    Seconds after responding to her, an unimaginably loud, almost demonic shriek of sorts echoed throughout the corridors. Such a sound was unlike anything that a living creature could produce, not even another Dragon or one of Nightwing’s unholy beasts, being the most inhuman thing one could imagine as if it were something out of a horror film. At the near end of the wailing, it almost sounded like air was escaping the mouth of whatever entity was emitting it. This alone made the Sea Drake slowly reach down to grip one of her hands and cross his digits with her own, purely out of terror. Every ounce of color left his face as low stream of wind swept across the floor. Whatever was down the hall had to either be quite far or was concealed by the pitch black environment, and all he had was a flashlight to see.

    “Ladies, I think we should go… Now.”

    Should the barrier be mobile and allow them to walk, Tempest began stepping away in the direction of the stern where they intended on going earlier, opposite of where that god awful screech came from. His hand kept a hold of his friend’s if she allowed out, both out of sheer terror and to keep them from being separated. It was at this rate he started running a little from picking up the pace with a growing urge to flee the vicinity while they still could, something in the back of his mind was screaming for him to get out of there and drag their guest along.

    Something was coming, something terrible. Even Emmy could be a potential target if all three were caught. Time was short and they needed to get out of that corridor immediately.

  • To say he initially forgot her prior explanation was an understatement, as if having ignored it earlier when darting into the corridor where a certain skeletal frame laid. Still, his heart was threatening to beat out of his chest as the deceased man rested there in a fatal position on his own stomach. Since offering an idea on what the crewman’s fate could’ve been, the Sea Drake gradually regained his composure and gazed down upon the century old human remains. All he needed to ease down was a reminder from the Dragoness that they had protection against whatever unholy entities may be lurking in there.

    What astonished him more than anything else in the time spent with her was the fact she knew his name, personal details on what this man contributed too, and how other crew members viewed him. How could all of this have been physically possible without Zoriko having been there herself at the time of the Nosgoth’s disappearance? He could only speculate that there was so much more to Skya’s daughter than Tempest knew, she never failed to amaze him in her abilities. All that mattered right now was the skeleton before them.

    “How do you know this bloke’s history? I can’t even see a name tag anywhere on his uniform. Maybe a better question is~ How do thousands of people mysteriously die on a ship and not /one/ survivor lives to tell the tale? No lifeboats were taken off the decks from what little I saw outside, something’s not right. I used to hear stories about ships and aircraft go missing in the Bermuda Triangle, but imagine a vessel this size filled with five thousand people all perishing, assuming that’s what happened to them.” By now, the aquatic male was attempting to conjure theories as to what could’ve happened to the rest of the occupants on board, surely one man couldn’t carry out such a mass killing. Before any ideas could be proposed, he took notice of tears building up in her crimson orbs, and that made him freeze with the intent on going over to comfort her again.

    His upcoming attempt at approaching her was halted before it was even started when she warned him not to overreact and possibly risk agitating lingering spirits. The porcelain female was correct, as much as he disliked admitting it, this was one minor lesson Trinity should’ve thought to teach him long ago. Tempest nodded in acknowledgement, now somewhat humiliated with how foolish he was a moment ago.

    Right as the azure and gold scaled leviathan in disguise was about to ask a question, he was cut off by a young girl who mysteriously appeared. All sorts of mixed emotions were running through his mind when realizing that their visitor was a deceased passenger, given how transparent her eerie form was. Despite how innocent and adorable she was, it killed him to see that a child was put in the grave, plus she wasn’t likely the only one to meet such a terrible fate. All he could do was observe closely while the two had a brief conversation in regards to where her mother might be. What came as a shock was the sudden announcement of where her parent truly was, and that made him gasp.

    Now that their first visitor was gone, Zoriko’s friend resumed course for wherever she was heading next. During their stroll towards the ballroom, his lips curved downwards into a frown after just having seen /one/ lost soul aboard this literal ghost ship, anyone with basic morals would’ve broken down into tears, but that would only draw in tainted spirits. Should the opportunity to uncover the truth behind why everyone perished present itself, he wouldn’t hesitate to take it.

    Just then, his unfocused gaze was turned towards the white haired female as she knelt down to retrieve a little item. Curious to see what it was, the young drake stepped closer and leaned over for a quick inspection of what he thought was a sapphire wedding ring. Before any theories of his own could be spoken of, she gave him a rough idea on what happened in just three words to Tempest’s own shock again. “That’s awful, coming aboard a floating city with the love of your life waiting to pop the big question, only to have it cut short so suddenly. I just hope whoever this was intended for is with her man at least…” When struggling to speak that last sentence, a tear descended from one of his emerald hues before dripping against the floor. Despite how deteriorated the floor was, he sat down Indian style next to his winged counterpart.

    “When you’re done with the sketch, there’s one other room I’d like to see if that’s alright with you. It’s the stadium pool room, a massive hollowed out portion of the ship that’s one large area with a swimming pool in the middle, and bleachers on either side with a stage on the back wall. It’s basically a giant room where people would gather to watch performers with bottlenose dolphins, sometimes bands would come play. The reason I know about this was because the Invictus had one, the only surviving sister ship of the one we’re in right now. I explored it quite a lot before Gleeon bought a house inland. It should be inside the stern section just past the last smoke stack, it’ll be a long walk from here.” He’d explain in detail about where they could venture off to next, his offer could very well lead to another great spot for an additional piece of art.

  • As always, her much younger affiliate enveloped himself in another flash of cobalt light upon transforming and immediately scrambling to get his clothes on, fortunately he was behind her this time. After the rush to get dressed in seconds, one hand slid down to grip his stomach as the Draconian male stumbled, almost frozen from what resembled some sort of pain building up within him. Zoriko’s water oriented friend would be seen gagging while making way for the railing, as if on the verge of vomiting everything he just ate earlier. With her beginning work on yet another masterpiece to present her boss, he spent two minutes attempting to avoid hurling everything in his stomach.

    In the event Tempest was able to recover and shrug it off, he’d approach and claim a spot next to the Sky Dragoness as she went to work on her astonishing sketch. “In case you ask, no, it’s not the ship that’s making me sick. My body doesn’t like rapidly morphing, I’ll be alright though. Only time I should be worried as if I start coughing up blood next time.” Her friend noted in a casual manner since there was a clear history of this with him. Perhaps much later on the young drake could let himself loose for a prolonged amount of time in his true form.

    During those lengthy ten minutes, he could hear the faint voices of all sorts of different people ahead, whether it be naive journalists wanting to document this derelict passenger ship, local authorities that sought to keep everyone in check and orderly fashion, or the typical urban explorers hoping to seek some potential treasures. The thought of others looting this mass grave sight irritated him to no end since it would no doubt be disturbing the dead, something no one had respect for nowadays. While Tempest was indeed a jovial one had quite a lot to learn, honoring the deceased was a life lesson he learned early on thanks to Trinity. This had plagued his mind to the point where it was mentioned to her. “Just like the Titanic, I already know people are going to start taking shit and grave robbing if security isn’t tight enough. I hope they’re not allowed in.”

    Once she was finished, the Oceanic Dovah concealed in mortal flesh reluctantly followed her towards the guard who’d inspect them. A huff escaped his lips when allowing her to do so until they’d be released and free to explore on their own, quickly moving away from the one who checked them.

    When they finally stepped inside, one of the first locations of its vast interior they’d enter is the promenade deck, a wide open corridor where passengers once roamed and were given an outstanding view of the sea. Its appearance had massively deteriorated over the past century; White paint chipped off the walls to reveal the base material underneath, wooden floorboards were in the early stages of rotting away due to constant moisture from Ocean air coming in, thick mold and grime accumulated almost everywhere they looked. It was nearly unrecognizable from its once pristine state. Shockingly enough this steam powered vessel hasn’t completely fallen apart yet.

    Only after receiving an explanation about what the Alexandrite charm did for them, that was when an unfamiliar tone echoed in their direction. What sent shivers down his spine was the fact BOTH their names were unexpectedly called out. Sure, that one guard probably got them, but what reason would she have to tell anyone else? There was none, his only guess was that the deceased inhabitants might be aware of their presence, and this could only mean terrible news of beings of malice lurked in there.

    “How do they know- We better move, this way!”

    Being quick to seek a room and get them out of the open vicinity, Zoriko was immediately ushered into a smaller hallway towards the middle as he walked at a faster pace. Left and right would be countless first class rooms where the wealthiest of passengers once were, if only ships like this kept such antique furnishings in the modern era. A few wooden benches could found still resting there for every forty feet they walked.

    Before they could go terribly far, something struck his left foot and almost caused him to trip. While caught on something, the Sea Drake asked to have her phone for a moment. Should she allow him to have it, he’d use an app to turn on the flashlight next to its camera so they could see in the nearly pitch black environment. When shining it on the object that caught his foot, every ounce of color left his face while his blood ran cold, what he hit was a weathered skeleton dressed in a steward’s outfit, possibly a former crew member. Upon gasping in horror at their first discovery, Tempest just leaped away from it and came close to clinging to his winged counterpart.

    “Dear God, look at that…!”

    After taking a moment to ease down from this horrific and unholy site, he couldn’t help but notice something physically sticking out of the skeletal frame below them. By kneeling down, the phone’s flashlight was pointed at the object in question. What remained embedded in his skull was a kitchen knife, as if someone had impaled what was thought to be a man in front of them. While he certainly wasn’t a Detective by any means, the Dovah was given a few ideas as to what could’ve happened to him, one of which was mentioned to the Dragoness.

    “Looks like somebody stabbed him, it’d take a lot of force to do this to somebody’s skull. Notice the position he’s in, it almost looks like he was running and somebody nailed him in the head from behind.”

  • “Mad? Surprisingly not since I’ve explored some pretty shady places before.”

    Was all that left his lips from hearing the mortal’s assumptions about that controversial question, something that’d spark all sorts of religious debates with other people. His hues glared back at him and got a brief glimpse of her grin while pretending not to notice it. There almost no resistance from him when that phone was snatched out of his right palm, already he knew Zoriko’s boss would be astonished with his proposal. All those two could do now was wait for him to make a decision and an offer that couldn’t be refused.

    There wasn’t much shock when he agreed to letting them take this trip on his behalf. True to his word, something this big could mean a massive opportunity for their company if they were successful in getting fresh sketches and possibly photographs of the Nosgoth’s interior. While Tempest lacked even the most basic knowledge of how their organization worked, he was well aware of the importance of their up coming exploration, who knows what it could mean for Zoriko.

    Based off the present expressions on her face, the Sea Drake in disguise had an idea on where she was going with this since said Manager gave her a difficult time earlier. A smirk of his own was withheld as that man came over to wrap his shorter arms around her frame, only to witness him get pinched and let out quite an amusing sound afterwards. His hollering being cut short by the reminder by what they were doing for him made the azure and gold scaled leviathan chuckle silently until her boss mentioned a potential issue with security. Nothing else was said while he headed off to fetch what they needed. When he returned, the Oceanic Dovah reluctantly took the paper, placed it down on a table, and began writing the following: Tempest Carminite, the last being the name of his absent biological family.

    “Done~! And geez, my handwriting sucks.”

    Once complete, the aquatic male faced his white scaled friend before being told about the decline in temperature in their water cooler. At first, he failed to realize what relevance this had until the realization struck him hard: His attitude affected the only form of water near them and almost created a scene. Low snorts were heard from her guest withholding a strong urge to erupt in laughter until a shrug was given. For those next couple of minutes, he engaged the Dragoness in whatever random discussion they’d bring up in the meantime.

    Upon his return, the azure haired male listened while receiving news of an ID being ready for him, all that was required would be a photograph. “I’ll be back in just a second.” He told his white scaled counterpart in disguise, proceeding to follow her Manager into whichever room they’d be taking his picture. For someone who was unfamiliar with all this and was used to living in the wild, he managed to comply with everything quite easily. For once in his life, the young drake felt accomplished, having gone from a feral life style to this. In the event he’d return to her, Zoriko would be brought into a tight embrace since she received all the credit for making it possible.

    “I owe you one.”

    ---------------

    Sometime after reaching their destination, her friend was impressed to say the least. Given all the times Trinity dragged him into restaurants, he knew exactly how this worked. Retrieve a menu, either grab or be guided to a table by a waiter, and decide on what they’d like. True to her word, the entrees they had listed were unimaginably diverse, page after page. Already Tempest was eyeing whatever seafood items he could possibly find, and if this was their last night knowing what could go terribly wrong on that ship later, he’d make the most of it with her. His gaze shifted up to Zoriko when being asked a question.

    “If we’re talking about being in full draggo form, you could say I’m like a scavenger. Whatever large animals are out roaming about, that’s what I go after. Usually it’s larger shark species, seals, sea lions, different species of rays, tuna and salmon since I can trap them with my water magic, and… Wobbegong sharks, despite the fact those little basterds will clamp down on my nose every time, they’re a pain to remove. Divers who step on them all the time always get bitten and have to pry them off.” He answered in detail regarding his most unusual diet. Then again, this should be expected since the beast used to travel frequently until landing here of all places. Remembering all the times he attempted to consume carpet sharks made him rub his emerald orbs with an embarrassing sigh.

    Roughly twenty minutes later once they were through with their meals, her aquatic friend would be using a toothpick in his upper jaw afters. What laid on his plate was a whole lobster that had both its tail, claws, and the meat inside its legs completely devoured, only the inedible parts including its shell remained. Only reason he could eat so much without gaining weight was due to a high metabolism in his human facade.

    Possibly for the first time, the white Dragoness chose to let him lead this journey. Smiling warmly in response, he stood up to announce how they’d go about getting there. “We’ll travel by water. Before you get nervous, we’ll be swimming /above/ the surface and not going under. When we get to the beach, just hang on tight and you’ll be alright up there. Let’s do this!” With that said, the Sea Drake gestured for her to follow after finishing desert and whenever their bill was paid.

    -------------------

    It was nearly an hour since they left. Tempest took on his feral form not only to give his facade a much needed rest for what was to come, but to travel there quicker. As promised, he swam only at the surface while manipulating surrounding water to accelerate himself at incredible speeds, almost like a high performance boat. By utilizing his enhanced long range hearing, he was able to track down their intended target from letting out roars underwater and waiting for the soundwaves to bounce back off of something. This all happened after giving her another ride across land to spare her plenty of stamina while depriving himself of it as well. Since she got him dinner, it was one small thing her friend could do in return.

    Their vision was gradually cut short by a thickening amount of fog the further they traveled from shore, along with an usual decline in sunlight, perhaps that was because the sun was going down? With a large cloud cover right on top of them disturbed for miles, there was an occasional amount of lightning out in the distance, but no thunder quaking in the heavens, nor rain droplets. At this rate, Zoriko’s partner was having to rely on sound for navigation. If she was ever struck by anxiety, said young woman would be nuzzled affectionately to minimize her stress by turning his head back.

    At last, something quite large came into view up ahead, and once they were close enough, his water bending would cease carrying them forth before swimming on his own. The eerie silhouette of a vessel grew larger as they neared their target, up until they could see everything in great detail despite the overwhelming amount of fog ahead.

    The ocean liner was massive beyond belief. She held a total length of seven hundred meters from bow to stern, roughly over two thousand and two hundred feet, not even an Ancient Nightwing Dragoness could compare to it. Seven onyx painted smoke funnels towered over everything, no longer producing the black puffs they once did while in service. If him and her could see underwater, it held seven gigantic bronze propellers that laid dormant. On the side of the bow section was its name in yellow text: RMS Nosgoth as expected. While it was difficult to notice, it held a golden hull with much of its paint having chipped away, coated in a thick layer of rust from a century worth of neglect. The waterline (its bottom half that was submerged) would be found absolutely covered in barnacles, and if they weren’t there, it would normally be painted in black.

    The outer decks were a weathered mess. Wooden boards in the earlier stages of rotting, little to no sunlight casting down on its decaying surfaces, the usual. As for what little could be seen of the interior waiting to be entered, paint had long chipped off the walls, grime covering most surfaces from a lack of cleaning, and not many objects onboard had been moved from their original positions, mostly the benches and layback chairs on the promenade decks. The interior itself held absolutely no illumination unless one would be near a window, even then it’d still be difficult to see with the glass being weathered.

    By climbing straight up the right side of the bow, Tempest reached the front and placed his white haired host on the deck first. To avoid making it collapse under his weight, he morphed back into his false form and joined her by the rust covered railing before scrambling to put his clothes back on in seconds. With that out of the way, they were now at their intended yet unholy destination.

    “This looks just like- Oh…”

    When given the opportunity to see everything around them up close, he finally realized just how eerie the ship was from outside. Something about seeing its smoke funnels partially faded out by the distant fog made it all more ominous to observe, and that give him chills. Since they were on the bow, the double decker bridge would be right across from their position. The only sounds they’d be able to hear was the moaning stress of metal from the Nosgoth being moved by currents below, and faint wind that almost sounded like ghostly breathes in the background. After having visited several allegedly haunted locations in his lifetime, this one by far was the most intimidating. By now, he offered Zoriko his right arm to hold if she wished.

    “Do you wanna take your first sketch out here or go inside? You’re not the only one who’s a little nervous right now…” The young drake asked and informed her while keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Before this question could be answered, he added to it. “If we get the chance, I think it’d be best to poke around and find out what killed all these people on board, assuming they’re dead. I’ll let you in on a secret right now, my friend Gleeon used to own the Invictus, it’s the Nosgoth’s sister ship made under the exact same blueprint. Fortunately nothing terrible ever happened to it, nor a sinking.”

    4106013?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024

    4106034?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024

    // A perfect song for this scene. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81N9jWi39PQ&t=4s

  • It took a moment for his emerald orbs to adjust to the increase in light, making him raise a hand to partially cover his face. Her guest then looked at his own imagine through a reflection on that same glass table after guessing why he was handed a special brush, and it was no wonder she was somewhat amused at this. Being quick to react, said object was taken in one palm before straightening out and grooming that mess on his head for at least half a minute, it was easy for a full blooded Draconian like himself to forget small things like that. Once finished with his bad hair day, the young drake accepted the invitation and joined her at the table to begin drinking his own beverage. A wince was heard from him not giving it enough time to cool down while almost burning his tongue, just before using an extremely minor dose of his Ice magic to cool it.

    Not long after finishing it, Tempest stood up to follow her in there, and this would be the first time he’d get to see more of the house. While not being nosy by any means, her aquatic friend couldn’t help but notice how clean everything was. Such reminded him of the mortal man that once guided him so long ago, who always insisted on keeping everything in order since he was the most well reserved individual of their adopted family. He glanced back to find the Sky Dragoness bringing over a certain device he requested minutes ago and stepped over to accept it, now that she unlocked it for easy access. “Thank you~” The reptilian said in appreciation, already opening whatever browser she had available for use.

    With both of them heading back for the kitchen, his green hues remained locked on the tiny but bright screen in front of him. To avoid making Zoriko think he was ignoring her while on it, the azure haired male turned his head up towards her for acknowledge before agreeing to the offer. “Gladly! Guess we’ll find out what the big bloke wants, who knows what he has in mind. And don’t feel bad for earlier, either I should’ve reconsidered or put you in more shallow water. I’d be up for trying anything when we grab dinner, that’s up to you.” In return, she was given a slightly amused smirk directed at what was thought to be his own idiocy. For now, he just followed her outside and resumed looking around at random articles on her cellular device.

    On the way towards her office, the Sea Drake discovered a strange news post on one of the browser’s default homepages regarding the profound discovery of a legendary ghost ship. The Nosgoth was said to be a gargantuan ocean liner at least three times the size of Titanic, steam powered, and was essentially a floating city in a way. Said vessel went missing roughly around 1918 during the closing months of World War One. While in route for New York across the Atlantic, all contact was unexpectedly lost before its wireless operator ceased transmitting, and attempts at searching for the lost liner proved to be a failure. What made this such a notable event were the thousands of lives that potentially vanished with it, given how many passengers and crew were on it a century ago. No evidence was found of a German torpedo attack, no distress calls picked up by other ships, and no lifeboats ever found. It was as if it never existed.

    In the article he found, turns out that boaters discovered the massive passenger liner by accident not too far from the coast. The photographs taken of it were beyond ominous, once a metallic golden hull had all its paint chipped away with overwhelming amounts of rust, parts of the deck’s floorboards rotting away, grime covering each surface, and many other layers from mother nature weathering it over the ravages of time. To anyone’s shock, it was still afloat and intact in one piece, as if having lingered out there for a century. While attempts at debunking as being a hoax were made, its presence was confirmed being true, as difficult as it was for the public to believe. As of yet, no expeditions were made to explore its vast interior, leaving the fate of its crew and passengers a mystery still. Viewing its pictures alone gave him chills for some reason, something about it gave him all sorts of awful vibes. Perhaps it was just its intimidating appearance since the ship was decaying?

    ------------

    Prior to setting foot outside the elevator, that familiar thick face was difficult to forget. The would-be Australian gave nothing but silence as well while the two headed for her cabin reluctantly, right as her superior began rambling on about wanting something horror related this time, no surprise there. His whining and disrespectful behavior had Tempest beyond livid by now, it seemed like there was no shutting him up without giving that man a busted jaw. As much as he’d love to get into a physical altercation and have her boss at his mercy, it wasn’t worth having Zoriko be blamed and lose her position there.

    Right before he was about to look at some of the female’s drawings, his emerald irises snapped over to him when a threat was made. This caused him to freeze and glare back at the Manager while he wasn’t paying attention. As a result of his growing rage building up over the treatment of his friend, a nearby water cooler began boiling and bubbling from him unknowing tapping into the molecules inside. This also made him realize something: What was he going to inflict upon him? Use water from the giant jug as a weapon and expose himself? No, that was just plain reckless, and would put his only Draconian friend at risk too. He was better than this. With such a realization, the waters ceased their increase in temperature.

    His relentless gaze was broken when her boss suddenly gripped one of his thinner palms, flinching slightly since this was an unexpected gesture. While choosing not to overreact and assume this to be a hostile act, his orbs narrowed at the shorter but older figure standing by him now before rambling on about him tagging along. His suggestions were just ridiculous, and he wasn’t exactly fond of horror fests either despite being the former lover of a necromancer.

    If the Dragoness’ job depended on this, he needed to come up with something. That was when an idea came to mind. “Hold that thought.” By bringing out Zoriko’s smartphone again, Tempest scrambled to bring up that exact same article again on a browser, which loaded fairly quick to their fortune. The overweight man was then shown the story he found regarding the Nosgoth’s recent discovery, and it wasn’t going to be long until that iron leviathan would be inaccessible by the public. Something of this scale was by far worth more than exploring the Titanic’s interior, and one can only imagine what her sketches would be worth if they could be done.

    “How bout this… If her and I go check out the place and get the sketch art, I’d like to be rewarded as well since this is the equivalent of walking into a minefield. I don’t know if you believe in a afterlife, but I certainly do, and there’s no telling what could’ve happened on that ship under the world’s nose. Plus I’d ask you be nice to my friend since she’s done her best to help you in return for this. Does that sound fair?”

    Her manager was presented with two reasonable requests in exchange for this adventure, but in a calm and rational manner since provoking a confrontation with him would only lead to trouble. If the Oceanic Dovah couldn’t fight back on her behalf, he would at least put in the effort to reason with him instead, assuming there was anything sensible about that man. If results were being promised for an assignment like this, how could her boss refuse? They were talking about the Nosgoth afterall.

  • The subject regarding locations of where the dead lingered always peaked his interest, for reasons Zoriko would find out soon. While in route back to her home, he listened carefully and snorted lightly in amusement from hearing what her boss would have him do, chances were she wasn’t wrong. Since he felt it was the right time to do so, the aquatic male shared another portion of his lengthy history with a bit of insight on the paranormal.

    “Ironic you bring that up. Between you and me, I used to date a Necromancer named Trinity, she was the daughter of Hel: Norse Goddess of the Underworld. She taught me a lot about demonology and what not. I have her to think for knowing there’s an afterlife. Demons and tainted spirits are pretty much what you just described, beings who will go out of their way to not only ruin somebody’s life, but drag their soul into the Underworld.”

    There was a short lived pause from him while thinking of where to continue from what was said, up until he gave some context as to what him and his Ex used to do together. “Whenever we both had free time, she would take me to some supposedly haunted places throughout the country for us to investigate, sometimes we’d drag Gleeon along. One of the scariest ones was an abandoned mental institution that’s been closed for quite some time, a lot of people died in there. Out of all the times I went with her, not once did anything try latching onto me. Can you imagine what a possessed dragon would be like? Nothing could stop it.”

    In the event they’d arrive back home, her Oceanic counterpart took a deep inhale as the smell of vanilla filled his nostrils once more. His shoes were removed and placed aside to avoid tracking any dirt on her floors before going over to claim a spot on that couch. Soon, Tempest flopped over in exhaustion from all the running he did in one day, and it had been awhile since he received that much exercise. One blanket was grabbed to wrap around himself while curling his legs under him, just to keep his feet warm as the Dragoness walked off to make something in her kitchen.

    When the pale woman returned with a few surprises, the corners of his lips curved upwards into an excited grin. “Oh my god you’re the best!!” Being shockingly fond of salsa, no time was wasted in grabbing a chip and scooping up the red substance onto it before munching on it. As eager as he was, the Sea Drake kept his table manners while enjoying the freshly made blend she prepared for them both. Still, he was sure not to consume too much since the sky Dragoness needed to eat as well. Periodically, her friend from the seas tried some hummus on a few vegetables and nodded in approval, trying something other than meat for once was a new experience.

    Of course, a moment had to be taken to tell her how he felt about her hospitality, and it wouldn’t go unnoticed. “I never got the chance to thank you for all this, I really appreciate it. Night night~” The beast in disguise confessed sincerely with that signature smile of his, just before she headed off for bed. Since there was nothing else to do for the night, the Dovah in mortal flesh laid down on his side across the sofa before pulling a few blankets over himself. It took roughly seven minutes for him to eventually doze off.

    Overnight, something indescribable happened within his vast dreamscape. It all began back in his former home with what he considered to be a family years ago: Trinity, Gleeon, Alana, and many others. One moment they’re all gathered in a living room having the time of their lives, the next… What sounded like the rotor blades of choppers could be heard outside. Soon after, this eerie flashback cut to what was taking place outside one minute later.

    From there, a swarm of high tech gunships were in formation around their estate, a place once acting as a safe haven not only for him, but for many other non-human type beings. Each of those airborne vehicles unleashed a barrage of missiles upon their home, every last bit of that structure was burnt to the ground after being blown apart ruthlessly. When this profound event took place, a familiar onyx haired male with porcelain skin and golden hues was heard frantically calling Tempest’s name, it was none other than Gleeon himself.

    “Go! Get as far away as you possibly can!!”

    “I’m not leaving you!!”

    “I SAID GO!!!”

    In a desperate protest to decline abandoning him there, the Manipulator of Air shouted for him to flee while he still could, there was no doubt in his mind that the Government intended on capturing them both. As much as it pained the big lug to go through with this, he turned back to gaze upon the family Patriarch one last time, who slowly turned his back to Tempest with the intent of buying him and others time. Hesitant at first, the juvenile Dovah took off for the shoreline, dove underwater out of sight, and fled for the depths to elude capture while the Draconian raised male fought off those unholy machines.

    His only regret: Not giving him a choice and staying there to fight, despite the fact it’d mean his own end.

    ---------

    On the following morning, emerald irises gradually fluttered open when hearing rain droplets fall from the heavens outside. The young drake rolled over onto his back with a silent groan while stretching his slim figure as usual, plopping himself back down again. At least half a minute was spent gazing at the ceiling as he thought more about the visions seen during his slumber, nothing disturbed him more than looking back towards the event that forced him away from those closest to him. And without them, what was he expected to do in life now?

    His attention shifted over to a certain white haired female as she came over to pull back those blinds and allow natural light to pour in. The aquatic male sat up with the most sheepish look across his face, and his azure locks were just a complete but comedic mess he’d have to brush out before going anywhere in public. He eventually scooted over to make room for his Draconian friend in disguise if she chose to sit there with him, up until Zoriko received a minor request with an idea in mind.

    “Mornin’. Do you have a tablet or smartphone I could play around on? There’s something I’d like to look up if that’s alright with you.”

  • “Still, I talked you into it. If you’re dead set on trying this again at some point, we’re doing it in really shallow pool next time.”

    As much as it pained him to say that, Tempest was beyond reluctant on making future plans to help her conquer her fear over water. While she insisted he was not at fault for this accident, Zoriko’s aquatic affiliate couldn’t help but continue feeling that horrendous sense of guilt. Both his frilled ears kept themselves pinned back when allowing her to rest against his soft golden underside. Still speechless for this, he covered her back with the side of his snout, providing some warmth while she laid there.

    Her Arctic friend perked up at the offer to returning home, perhaps that was an excellent idea since it was getting dark outside, not that he would mind spending the night on a beach. With his maw easing into a more relaxed expression, a nod of approval was given while thinking about what they could do. Unexpectedly, his stomach could be heard grumbling loudly from going two full days without any meals. Such a sound made him go dark red since he dreaded seeing her reaction to this. Soon, he scratched an ear with one of his nails.

    “Uh… Sure, let’s go!”

    In attempt to draw the Dragoness’ attention away from the noise she most likely heard, the aquatic male stood on all four legs and scooped up the smaller figure before she’d be placed onto his upper back again. Initially starting slow to avoid accidentally hurling Zoriko off his armored form, the large male took off sprinting across the soil below, each step creating a low boom due to his unsurprising weight. Just like last time, he easily leaped over varying obstacles again, whether it be rock formations, rotting tree trunks, and so on.

    The journey back was fairly long with how far they traveled away from civilization, and his lack of wings still inhibited him. This never deterred her Oceanic counterpart from running across the vast woodlands as they headed back for the metropolis, not once did he show any signs of being deprived of stamina. As demonstrated before, his speed easily made up for his inability to take flight.

    ------------------

    Prior to arrival back within the city, serpentine irises scanned their surroundings when approaching the back of a warehouse. An empty parking lot was soon entered as his dense claws set foot on hard asphalt, nearing a set of railroad tracks railing parallel with another portion of the structure. In order to clear way for himself, one talon was used to shove a weathered boxcar aside with his unrivaled strength before continuing on. His finned tail snaked up to gently coil around his smaller friend and set her down easily. Now that they temporarily had some privacy, he could take advantage of it and swap forms.

    “Look away or close your eyes for a second.”

    After stepping behind some crates, a familiar cobalt flash enveloped his hulking figure as he rapidly shrank in size, in addition to changing shapes again. Now back in mortal flesh and in the nude, Tempest snatched a certain bag to throw on the clothes she got for him earlier, assuming she wasn’t watching of course. In just a few seconds, he was dressed once more and ready to resume. “Done~” He’d inform her, continuing on into an alleyway that would lead them towards the streets.

    Now roaming a sidewalk with his white scaled host in disguise, the Sea Drake turned towards her to ask a question. “What’re the chances your boss might send us out again for another photography trip? Part of me can imagine him wanting something for Halloween soon, correct me if I'm wrong.”

  • “Remember, take your time, there’s no rush.”

    She was encouraged not to dive in so quickly while still on his armored back. Due to the density in his scales up there, it was nearly impossible to feel her gradually tightening grip. His only indication for Zoriko’s growing fear was her complete and utter silence until a squeal was heard, if anything he was expecting her to urge him to head back for shore. That frown of hers in addition to the shaking of her head didn’t go unnoticed since his horned cranium was facing backwards where she sat.

    While holding almost perfectly still despite the current, the porcelain figure fell right off of him. Since she couldn’t be felt clinging to him anymore, this made Tempest turn around immediately to see if she was alright. As quickly as it unfolded, his winged counterpart was found going under to her misfortune. The initial response from him was an attempt at grabbing her shirt and hauling the Draconian Woman onto his back.

    Before this could happen, she transformed into her feral form in the midst of her panic. When she moved off of him, the large male wasted no time diving down to place himself back under the white Dragoness so she’d be at the surface again, who was now soaked from head to tail. One front leg was used to help give her physical support as Tempest stumbled straight for the shoreline since this turned into an emergency, regardless of the fact both were in shallow water. The movements from her legs below aided him in carrying the distressed female back to dry land, which took only a few seconds since they weren’t very far out.

    Skya’s daughter was carefully released after being saved from a potential tragedy. As she sat by where her bag was dropped, the corners of his maw lowered themselves into what resembled a shameful frown. A deep sense of both guilt and regret washed over him, more so than when she accused him of going through her belongings back at the house by far. The difference was, this could’ve resulted in her drowning, fortunately that event was prevented in mere seconds. Still, he could only close his emerald hues while she laid there on the white sand.

    “This… Is my fault, I should’ve never talked you into it.”

    Was all Tempest could answer with prior to hearing her muffled cries, and if there was one thing that really got to him, it was the tears of a woman. Not wanting to let her sit there and rot in humiliation, Zoriko’s aquatic guest stepped over to lay there just inches away, careful not to sit on her bag by mistake. The azure and gold scaled beast then curled around where she rested before using his finned tail to gently bring her close, where she’d be able to rest on his side if the Sky Dragoness wished. If she did so, his golden underside would feel like soft rubber to the touch.

    By moving a front talon in a twisting motion, every drop of salt water levitated out of her white hair and clothing to instantly dry her off. Seconds later, she would find herself being lightly nuzzled by Tempest in a effort to comfort his friend in distraught, who arguably had every right to be upset with him this time. Upon gulping, the young Drake gave an apology to the one sobbing in his hold, followed by a question since the sun was setting.

    “That was just stupid of me without thinking first, I’m terribly sorry. No more swim lessons. How about you and I head back since it’s getting dark?”

  •      The embrace was not withheld from the dragoness. There was no hesitation in her step as Raiya stepped into Zoriko’s extended arms, her own appendages encircling around the smaller form with a soft grin. Her grasp loosened only when Zoriko began to speak, which stimulated an ascent of her brow in mild surprise.

         “If you came seeking forgiveness, then it is freely yours to have.” Words were followed closely with a soft chuckle. No offense had been taken to the abrupt ending to their prior meeting, yet Raiya offered reassurance. “-Although I hope whatever made you distraught before has ceased.  Have you been well, dear?” 

  • Optimism was something of a contagion, or so he believed for himself this much was true as he watched her turn, a smile brought across his face to that alone. He need not be an empath to sense the pent up energy in the girl. Far different than the rigid anxiety of their meeting within the trees, not long ago yet seemingly distant. 

    A chuckle nearly left with his words in response. "I have been just fine all the same." He responded almost curtly. His fingers meanwhile found and retrieved the mug, taking a drink. Pondering the question, a finger tapped on the surface of the mug momentarily, eyes distant to one wall of the kitchen. Spencer shrugged his shoulders. "Productive... peaceful. I made my way back into the city for an evening, gathered some items from Omnia. Caught up with Raiya for some time throughout. Then..." 

    Spencer strode towards the other side of the counter, to where the books were settled. An elbow propped on the counter. "I made my rounds into your mother's library to return a few items. Picking up a few I had left behind in my last visit." On that note, the coffee mug was set down. Spence took the first few books off the stack, gesturing to hand them to Zoriko. "If you would, please." 

    In his arms, he took the four heavier that had lingered underneath. With a tilt of his head to signal direction he started walking towards a hall to the left of the kitchen where a door lingered open. The room was seemingly a work space. Tables set upon the walls, one large one at center. One wall housed shelves and small bins alike, jars and totes of different materials organized by their purposes and names. In one corner was yet another bookshelf, case for scrolls beside it. The main table had seemingly been cleared and cleaned from it's prior use, the wood gashed in several places symbolizing its use. 

    Spencer sat the books down on the table, expecting somewhat the same of her.

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Zoriko left a comment for + S p e n c e r +
"Spencer held the door open for her and stepped aside so she could enter. A smile took to her face…"
Oct 1, 2019
Zoriko left a comment for + S p e n c e r +
"Zoriko approached the cottage now, books in hand, very focused expression on her face. Her mind…"
Aug 5, 2019